Developed by STAAR Surgical, Switzerland, the ICL offers
an alternative to laser surgery or optical aids, for people
with moderate to severe myopia and hyperopia. Unlike excimer
laser surgery, the eye is not surgically altered but instead
a contact lens is implanted into the eye via a clear corneal
incision of approximately 3 mm and placed between the
eye's natural crystalline lens and the iris. A permanent
implant, the ICL offers a similar correction to normal
external contact lenses. The procedure is also reversible.
After a successful completion of the STAAR ICL trial
in late 2001, Adelaide Eye & Laser Centre are currently
awaiting for the approval of ICL technology, through the
Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA) (formal approval is
anticipated in 2003), before considering ICL's on a more
permanent basis. ICL's are generally considered when LASIK
or PRK are not deemed suitable.
